Is Jessica Purcell Lying? Clay Johnson Proposes a Debate
Friends of Clay Johnson
184 Richmond Townhouse Rd
Carolina RI 02812
Contact: Clay Johnson, Candidate
Email: IfKidsHadAUnion@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2024
CLAY JOHNSON CALLS FOR INCREASED TRANSPARENCY IN LOCAL CAMPAIGNING
Richmond, RI – The Friends of Clay Johnson, a pro-student, pro-family, pro-taxpayer candidacy dedicated to a positive future for Richmond, yet again is under attack from candidate Jessica Purcell in a shallow attempt to discredit her opposition.
Hiding behind the Democratic Town Committee Facebook page, Purcell accused Johnson of being an opponent of campaign finance disclosures. To the contrary, Johnson filed campaign finance reports since 2012, reported all donations over $100 (until the limit was changed to $200), and never filed a lawsuit to try and change this practice. Purcell’s accusations are categorically false.
In a recent statement, Johnson stated, “I would encourage Jess to meet me on the debate stage for a one-on-one debate about Richmond’s future. The voters deserve a positive, future-oriented discussion.”
As Chairman of the Gaspee Project, Clay Johnson did participate in a lawsuit that would have protected social welfare and advocacy groups from disclosing private donations when participating in a referendum with independent expenditures. Disclosure of candidate contributions was never part of the lawsuit. Using independent expenditures to support individual campaigns is illegal and was never questioned.
Is the Purcell campaign ignorant of the facts, or simply desperate to attack her opponent at any cost?
Interestingly, the accusation by Purcell is eerily similar to the activity that Jessica Purcell participated in with the Friends of Chariho for the Future non-profit, a group that she helped found. This group engaged, twice, in advocacy for the passage of increased taxes and hid ALL of their donors because individual donations were below an $1800 limit. At the time, the Forgotten Taxpayers PAC called out this practice as a means of hiding donations well above the disclosure limit for a political action committee.
Clay Johnson respected the verdict of the courts, and calls on the complete disclosure of all donations made to the Friends of Chariho that exceeded the PAC donation disclosure limits established at the time of their receipt ($100 before 2024, and $200 in 2024). With these facts on the table, we can then have a spirited debate about issues facing taxpayers and the Chariho School District.